Dubai: Wednesday Day 4 Highlights
Highlights from all the third round action on Day 4 of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Highlights from all the third round action on Day 4 of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – 17-year-old Catherine Bellis earned the biggest win of her career over Agnieszka Radwanska, ousting the No.4 seed in three sets to reach the quarterfinals at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
“It’s one of the best feelings in my life, for sure,” Bellis enthused in her post-match press conference. “I’m really happy about the outcome tonight. I work so hard for it and I think my work is paying off.
“I’m definitely playing some of my best tennis right now.”
The American teenager is the youngest player in the Dubai draw – and the youngest member of the WTA Top 100. Bellis made a name for herself last season, backing up a run to the Bank of the West Classic quarterfinals with a third-round appearance at the US Open and a title at the Hawaii Open WTA 125K event.
First Top 10 Win!
17 year old @CiciBellis99 knocks out 2012 champ Radwanska 6-4, 2-6, 6-2! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/ggGOaQUEDO
— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017
A slow start to the 2017 season saw her miss the Australian swing with a hip injury and fall in qualifying at the Qatar Total Open, but the 17-year-old is back with a vengeance after her first Top 10 victory over Radwanska.
Bellis imposed her big-hitting game early on, leaving Radwanska with few answers to the American’s heavy pace. Her confidence only grew after shaking off an early Radwanska break opportunity, drawing the 2012 champion into making more unforced errors than her normally neat and tidy game would allow. Bellis grabbed the lone break a few games later for a 4-3 lead before taking the opening set.
But the teenager couldn’t keep up the high level as Radwanska changed tactics in the second set, coming up more frequently and taking time away from Bellis. She was rewarded with an early break, and four unforced errors in a row from the American gave Radwanska a 4-1 lead before going on to level the match with a second break of serve.
“I think in the second set she started playing a little bit better,” Bellis reflected. “I went off a little bit. I think I was going for a little bit too much.
“I just told myself stay calm and go back to my game and what I was doing in the first set.”
“I really can't believe it! This is the biggest win of my life!” ? @CiciBellis99 #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/fM5a9jKZmv
— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017
Bellis did just that and, after trading breaks with Radwanska at the start of the set, she reeled off the last four games in a row with a flurry of winners to clinch the biggest victory of her career after just under two hours.
“I have had kind of a dream couple of months since I have turned pro, but obviously it’s not always going to be always happy-go-lucky, but I have been really lucky so far,” Bellis said.
“I’m really just enjoying it more just thinking about how much fun I’m having and what an experience it’s been for me so far.”
With the victory, Bellis is projected to rise into the WTA Top 60, and can move into the Top 50 if she advances to the semifinals. She’ll take on the winner between Kateryna Bondarenko and Caroline Wozniacki for a spot in her career first WTA Premier-level semifinals.
In today’s SAP Stat Of The Day, 17-year-old CiCi Bellis’ victory over Agnieszka Radwanska set a record in more ways than one.
DUBAI, UAE – No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska’s Dubai campaign was cut short in the round of 16 after suffering one of the biggest upsets of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against 17-year-old CiCi Bellis.
“I didn’t feel good from the beginning. I didn’t play really great, and I was trying everything. I did what I could today,” Radwanska told press after the defeat.
She added, “For me it was really hard to control the ball and make the angles. And also, my serve didn’t work at all. In those kind of tight matches, you need those things. When you don’t have it and you’re struggling pretty much from the beginning, then you have a problem.
“I was really struggling myself. I was really focusing on myself today, but I just wasn’t good enough.”
First Top 10 Win!
17 year old @CiciBellis99 knocks out 2012 champ Radwanska 6-4, 2-6, 6-2! #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/ggGOaQUEDO
— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017
Despite playing against an unseeded teenager, experience told Radwanska to be wary, especially with the way Bellis had climbed the rankings and made a name for herself toward the end of last season.
“I never really think of the seeds or unseeded players,” she explained. “In today’s tennis, we don’t have ‘easy draws’ or ‘open draws.’
“Maybe you can say this from an outside [point of view], but on the court, there’s nothing ‘open.'”
Radwanska had only words of praise for Bellis, who is the youngest member of the WTA Top 100 and the youngest player to defeat a Top 10 opponent since Belinda Bencic posted back to back wins over Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic at the 2014 US Open.
“Very solid. Very consistent. She can really play good rallies with good intensity, and I think that’s a really good thing for that kind of young player. I think she was the best today.”
Putting the loss behind her, Radwanska plans to stop by her home in Poland for a couple of days before making the trip to California for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Angelique Kerber has Wednesday’s shot of the day at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – No.6 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shaui continued their solid start to 2017, knocking out Mandy Minella and Anastasija Sevastova, 7-5, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Peng shook off a disappointing singles loss to Sevastova to pair Hlavackova, with whom she reached the Australian Open final, to get her revenge on the Latvian in doubles.
“It’s not always easy to play after Shuai loses in singles on the same day,” Hlavackova said after the match. “Obviously, you’re sad, but it’s nice that we were able to work as a team and just fight for the doubles anyway. That’s what I felt today. We were just better players but they played very solidly. Sevastova’s having a good week so she was playing unbelievable serves and forehands. It was always close so I’m happy we got through.”
The duo raced out to a 4-1 lead to start, and survived a surge from Sevastova and Minella to clinch the opening set and ride the momentum to a one hour and six minute victory.
“It seems like it’s going well. We always had good results together, so it’s not a huge surprise for both of us. But nothing is guaranteed, so we’ve worked hard for every win.
“We’re looking forward to playing more big events like these. We play very well together.”
Hlavackova is coming off a longterm partnership with Lucie Hradecka, with whom she qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global the last two years in a row. What do Hradecka and Peng have in common? A two-handed forehand.
“Maybe I like their mentality, but whatever happens I guess I need to keep looking for more double-handed players!” joked the Czech veteran.
Up next for Hlavackova and Peng are No.4 seeds Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan, a newly formed team who reached the semifinals just last week at the Qatar Total Open.
Earlier in the day, top seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic recovered from 0-4 in the match tie-break to oust Viktorija Golubic and Kristyna Pliskova, 7-5, 4-6, 10-5. Mladenovic had to shake off a singles loss of her own to reunite with Garcia in time to reach the quarterfinals, where they’ll play No.5 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Yaroslava Shvedova, who defeated Irina-Camelia Begu and Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 6-3.
No.3 seeds Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova also advanced on Wednesday, easing past Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, 6-3, 7-5; they’ll next face No.7 seeds Abigail Spears and Katarina Srebotnik.
Wang Qiang takes on Kristina Mladenovic in the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – Elina Svitolina made it through to her third quarterfinal of 2017 so far after a titanic tussle with Christina McHale.
The Ukrainian triumphed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a clash in the next round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with Lauren Davis.
“It was really tough today – I was in and out today mentally, I was a little bit losing my focus in the first set,” she said in her on-court interview after the match.
“In the end I was just trying to fight for every ball, and I think that’s why I won.”
.@ElinaSvitolina reaches third Quarterfinal of 2017!
Tops McHale 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at @DDFTennis! pic.twitter.com/0WdyLoSLVh
— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017
McHale pushed Svitolina right to the end, forcing her to serve for a match which lasted two hours and 22 minutes, and saving the first of three match points.
She could not delay the inevitable for too long, though, as the 22-year-old’s grit saw her through.
Svitolina was already thinking about her next opponent, the American Davis.
“I’ve played against her a couple of times…but it’s always going to be tough in any quarterfinal,” she said.
Angelique Keber takes on Monica Puig in the third round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
DUBAI, UAE – Fresh from shocking Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Wang Qiang confessed that WTA World No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska is her current tennis idol.
“Now Radwanska is my idol,” she admitted in her post-match press conference. “Yes, I really like she play tennis.”
Wang was speaking to the media after brushing aside the Frenchwoman in the third round, 6-1, 6-4, and she wondered whether her opponent’s heroics yesterday against Karolina Pliskova had taken their toll.
Another upset!
Wang moves past @KiKiMladenovic 6-1, 6-4 in @DDFTennis Round of 16! pic.twitter.com/Sku0NhnLmw
— WTA (@WTA) February 22, 2017
“I saw her play last night and she play really well against Pliskova,” said Wang. “Yes, today first set she miss so much, and I think she’s a little bit tired of last night, yes.”
Wang will now play either Anastasija Sevastova or Peng Shuai in the quarterfinals.